My Review of The Rookie EP for The Swinging Bridge

When the hypnotic synth riff that drives opening single “Starfield” emerges from ambient noises to dominate the listener’s consciousness, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary bedroom electronica record. Building on this solid foundation, The New Division assemble a stadium-sized sound full of clattering percussion and laid-back guitars at the summit of which floats John Kunkel’s ethereal, reverb-drenched vocal. The glitchy rhythm and ‘80s snares of “Devotion” are reminiscent of a time when Joy Division, New Order, Kraftwerk, and Depeche Mode kept dancefloors packed until the wee hours of the morning. Its lyrical content, focusing on themes of solitude and spirituality, keeps The New Division firmly in such critically-acclaimed company—the purveyors of so-called ‘intelligent dance music’. Skittering cymbals and a pulsing bassline pick up the pace on “No Health” before smoothly flowing into the more rock-influenced “Nocturnal”. The rock influence remains in the ambient guitars at the beginning of “Festival”, a sound that would fit well on the last Ratatat album, before dropping an electro beat that has more in common with Deadmau5. Album closer “Bucharest” mimics the transition from hard-hitting club synths to more melodic lines one might experience on the way home from a night out, perfectly matched with lyrics about late-night conversations, loneliness, and the difficulty of communicating across cultures one might encounter both in the Romanian capital and The New Division’s hometown of Riverside, California. As a DJ, I appreciate their ability to balance a variety of songs capable of standing on their own and album-wide pacing to produce a smooth set of tunes that work extremely well in exactly the order they appear, from “Starfield” to “Bucharest”, almost like a narrative.

The New Division are clearly capable of producing a diverse array of electronic music, and their acoustic hidden bonus track hints at yet another direction they might go in the future. For an independently-released EP, The Rookie is an impressive effort. I had the privilege of seeing their CD release show in Riverside, and can honestly say it translates even better live, and with the recent addition of a drummer their act is sure to be even more compelling. Recent coverage from influential blogs like Pitchfork and NME (the British equivalent of Rolling Stone) leaves me hopeful that on their next effort they will have the benefit of a record label and its associated equipment and recording quality, distribution, and the possibility of a national tour so we East Coast residents can experience their music in the late-night environments it seems destined for.

- This is my original text. Check the final version at The Swinging Bridge here: http://media.www.messiahsb.com/media/storage/paper1242/news/2011/02/16/Entertainment/The-Rookie.Ep.Review-3975156.shtml